Main implications
The act recognised the responsibility of the Polish State to allow the repatriation and the granting of citizenship to Poles who had remained in the East (in particular, in the Asian areas of the former Soviet Union); and who, due to deportation, exile, or persecution, could not settle in Poland.
A repatriate was a person of Polish descent who arrived in the Republic of Poland on the basis of a repatriation visa [1], with the intention of taking up permanent residence. This person legally became a Polish citizen on the day he or she crossed the border of the Republic of Poland, provided the person could confirm his or her Polish nationality in one of the following ways: (1) he or she was able to demonstrate that at least one of his or her parents or grandparents or two great-grandparents were of Polish nationality; or (2) he or she was able to demonstrate his or her Polish provenance, in particular through the cultivation of the Polish language, traditions, and customs.
Repatriation affected children living with their parents who were under age 16 (if over 16, the change required their consent). However, if only one of the parents was a repatriate, the children could acquire Polish nationality only with the consent of the other parent.
Repatriates and members of their families living with them in a joint household after arriving in Poland were given a lump-sum benefit (to cover the costs of transport, living, education) from the state budget. In addition, local governments participated in the vocational activation of repatriates and in the provision of dwellings.
Comments & Clarifications
[1] The definition of repatriate was further amended in 2004 (No.53, Item 535): “a person of Polish descent who arrived in the Republic of Poland on the basis of a repatriation visa” was replaced by “a person of Polish descent who arrived in the Republic of Poland on the basis of a national visa for the purpose of repatriation.”